


there's a serpent in these still waters (lying deep down)

by savi0urdr3amer



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, LuciSev, Lucisev week, Lucisev week 2021, Near Death Experiences, Stargazing, The Future Past DLC, War, sssh i know it's a few days late but i tried, there's references to the future past here but it's not exactly the same??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savi0urdr3amer/pseuds/savi0urdr3amer
Summary: “Truth or dare?” she asks after a few moments of silence, resting her arms against the edge of the stone wall, propping her weight against it. It’d almost be easy to get lost in the vast expanse of the darkened sky like this, she thinks, with nothing between her and a valley of stars and galaxies, and Severa feels something close to small as the weight of the universe looks back at her. She’s but one drop, one star, in the breadth of this world pulled apart at the seams, still lucky enough to be alive, but unlucky enough to falter and struggle… and for what? She still doesn’t know.“We’re still doing this? All right, let’s go with… truth,” Lucina answers after a pause, more than sure of herself.Standing beside her, Lucina also gazes upwards, her murky hair hardly a shade lighter than the shadows devouring the horizon. Her brand looks like a constellation like this, a pretty birthmark of fate etched into the even the deepest fibers of her bones, and her eyes catch the light, dark lashes trapping stars with every blink.“Do you ever think about running away?” Severa murmurs.
Relationships: Lucina/Serena | Severa
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> written for lucisev week days 1-3: fates/future, knight + liege/secrets, and comfort/war
> 
> -
> 
> happy (late) lucisev week y'all. here's a shitty 7k piece that i really tried to like, but don't!! 
> 
> i'll touch it up later, y'all know the drill. but atm it's 2 am and i really just wanted to be done with this lmao, sorry for any suckiness

-

“Okay, okay, so,” Severa says as she takes another sip of mead. The curve of the mug is cold against her lips and a stark contrast to the warm, flushed heat of alcohol warming her body. “Truth or dare?”

Lucina snorts, a bit of an undignified sound for someone ordinarily so stringent and tightly wound. It’s good to see Lucina like this, Severa thinks, when she’s comfortable enough to let some of the walls around her down and _relax_ for once...or at least something close to that.

Relaxation certainly is something far from Lucina’s reach, if she’s even familiar with the concept of it at all; since her father’s death and the resurrection of Grima, the Fell Dragon, Lucina was thrown at the forefront of it all with neither a word nor a choice, merely a teenager given a sword and a crown that weighed far too much, and expected to be a leader. Lucina was sixteen, bright-eyed, and all she knew was that her world was suddenly thrown into chaos and that she was meant to be the one to quell the flames.

“Severa, everyone else fell asleep a while ago. We’re the only ones still awake!” Lucina remarks, her voice becoming quieter when Cynthia stirs in the bunk across from her. Embarrassed, she covers her mouth and giggles. “Well, it’s not much of an interesting game if we’re the only ones playing,” she whispers.

Severa rolls her eyes.

“Don’t be a party pooper,” she says cynically, trying to hold in a hiccup, which turns out to be unsuccessful a few seconds later. “I think that makes it even more fun- _hic-”_ Disgruntled, Severa wrinkles her nose and frowns. Shit.

For a moment the barracks go quiet, void of even Brady’s seemingly incessant snoring, and Severa brings a hand to her head to rub her temple. Now she’s done it, she thinks, she’s gone and woken up half the army and-

Oh, never mind. Brady’s snoring again. Severa breathes a sigh of relief, and it’s a long, heavy breath that empties out her lungs, and Lucina looks at her with wide eyes, her small hands clasped around her mug, inky hair disheveled and pouring down her shoulders.

“You were saying?” A hint of a smile pulls at Lucina’s lips and Severa chokes down a laugh.

“Well, let’s not wake up half the room,” Severa drawls, swinging her feet off her cot. “Come on, let’s go somewhere else. And don’t spill your drink. I spent twenty minutes digging those bottles of mead out of the old distillery and I’m pretty sure there are still cobwebs in my hair.”

-

“Think we woke anyone up?” Lucina asks as she shuts the door behind her.

“Doubt it. If they can sleep through Brady’s snoring, they can sleep through anything at this point,” Severa notes.

“That’s true,” Lucina says, walking quicker to match Severa’s pace. “Hey, wait up! Where are we going?”

“Dunno,” Severa remarks with a shrug. “Where do you want to go?”

That’s certainly a question. While Ylisstol still stands and is largely usable, it’s certainly no longer the impenetrable sanctuary Severa remembers from her childhood; the vast palace that once stood tall and regal, its pristine stained glass windows painting prisms of color onto the floor like a kaleidoscope, now shows the telltale signs of war, its marble floors and pillars aching with cracks, many of the windows broken, the finely-etched trim along the walls worn and chipped. A feeling of emptiness lingers through the halls now that most of the cherished and invaluable of relics sit safely stored in the deep recesses of the castle’s cellar and various hidden rooms, from golden jewelry passed down through the Ylissean royal family to ancient currency and prophecies, depictions of Naga and commissioned portraits of royals with solemn faces. The oldest and most notorious relic, Falchion, lies sheathed and secure around Lucina’s waist, a revered weapon said to be powerful enough to cut down even the Fell Dragon himself, and its accompanying shield lies tucked away in Ylisstol’s most secure treasury, the emblem incomplete but still of utmost significance. Severa supposes it’s fitting for someone like Lucina to wield such a treasured and archaic relic, though the esteemed sword of legend appears far from old; gleaming silver and sharp as ever, it catches streaks of moonlight as they parade through the vacant corridors and their footsteps echo up to greet the swaying remnants of flags and tapestries near the ceiling.

Lucina briefly glances out a window, her lips narrowed in thought.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the observatory, and the skies look relatively clear tonight… How about there? It’s a bit of a walk, but the view is more than worth it. What do you think?”

“All right, but don’t expect me to lead the way there, princess,” Severa teases, elbowing her gently.

Lucina responds with a loud, resonating laugh. Her smile is jovial and blazing, fully bloomed like a sunflower opened wide towards the sun, and it makes something in Severa hitch, her heart beating fast, a combination of alcohol and bashfulness brushing a flush of pink across her freckled cheeks.

“Don’t worry about it. And don’t spill your drink there, _princess_ ,” Lucina badgers back, and for once Severa is dumbfounded. She doesn’t remember the last time Lucina threw her own words back at her like this, but it’s not in her nature to be bested, even by someone like Lucina, so Severa does the first and most impulsive thing that comes to her mind.

“Too late,” she quips back, taking in a large gulp. The sweet burn of the mead is fire going down her throat. “It’s all gone now, so you have nothing to tease me about!”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong on that one,” Lucina says ominously, but she breaks character too easily, still smiling. “You have to go up a spiral staircase to get to the observatory, and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing you try to climb up it after finishing that drink. A bullion says you’ll trip,” she says with a grin, her dimples flaring.

“And another bullion says I’ll take you and your fancy cape with me,” Severa shoots back, feigning a pout. “Besides, you wouldn’t let me fall. I know you too well.”

In retrospect, Lucina makes a fair point, but Severa isn’t exactly known for her poise and reticence. She can blame herself for the hangover in the morning, she supposes, and blame herself for her own choleric nature later, when the person she’s yearned for _isn’t_ a few feet away from her.

“As much as I’d like to take you up on that offer, I’d rather not see one of the best soldiers in the army bested by a staircase,” Lucina glances at her shoulder. “Or have you ruin my cape. So I’ll help you. Come on, it’s just up ahead now.”

Lucina reaches for her free hand and ties their palms together, fingers interlaced and all. All Severa can manage is a flustered stutter as her heart races and the blood rushes to her face, and it’s like her brain short-circuits as her other clammy hand drops the empty mug. It hits the ground with a loud, resonating _thud_ , though it luckily and surprisingly doesn’t break, and Severa ordinarily would’ve turned and fled like a scared dog with its tail between its hind legs, but Lucina’s grip is ironclad and Severa is giddy and discombobulated, so the best she can manage is a wince and a sheepish attempt at an apology.

“Now you can probably see why I left mine back in the barracks,” Lucina jests, looking back at the discarded mug.

Severa lets out an exasperated huff.

“Meanie. I damn might pull you down by your fancy cape after all.” she says sourly, sticking her tongue out at her.

“You wouldn’t do that. I know you too well,” Lucina mimics, stopping on the first step. “Watch your step. It’s a bit narrow.” she cautions, and Severa follows her eagerly, still drunk on the buzz of alcohol and the way Lucina’s hand feels clasped with her own. She’s warm and lithe and too charming for her own good, and for an instant Severa is too distracted to even realize they’re near the top of the tower now and Lucina is talking to her.

“Severa? You still with me?” Lucina waves a hand in front of her face, and Severa blinks swiftly. She nods, and Lucina releases her hand to push open the doors, revealing something quixotic and whimsical. Oh, how pretty. Now she understands why Lucina wanted to come up here.

The inside of the observatory is suspended in a dream, particles of dust lit by spears of moonlight peeking through the windows, and the smell of old books and untouched mysteries is ripe in the air. Bookshelves still lined perfectly lie undisturbed, parchment and sextants neatly lining the tables around the orrery and telescope in the center of the room. It’s been a long time since this room was used, Severa thinks, and it’s not much of an enigma as to why; there’s only so much time for idleness during a war, and even the most alluring of subjects become secondary, a far-off fantasy when survival is paramount. She doesn’t even recall the last time she picked up a book and read trivially, and the days of her childhood, a far more amicable time, are murky and distant. It feels like an eternity has passed since then.

“I never learned much about this kind of stuff,” she remarks, picking up something off a nearby table that catches her interest. “Or maybe I just don’t remember much of it. What’s this thing called again?”

Lifting it up by its stand, the object itself is small and circular, brass and etched with pretty, intricate lines and a series of rings on the inside that twirl.

“An astrolabe,” Lucina answers, coming closer to examine it. “Oh, this specifically is a spherical one. The rings on the inside represent the circles of the heavens, with the sun in the middle. They’re usually used to track the motion of stars or other celestial bodies.”

“Huh,” Severa remarks, spinning it around in her hand. Fascinating. “Did this thing and the fancy books you read as a kid ever teach you how to make sense of the stars? I’ve always liked looking at them, but being able to pick them out is a different story.”

“I did learn a fair share of things like that, yes,” Lucina says, her fingertips tracing the spine of a book, and her laugh is somber. “Things that are proving to be less than useful in the current circumstances, though I’m glad someone appreciates it. Hopefully I’ve also been more forthright than someone like Laurent.”

“Oh gods, don’t remind me,” The thought alone nearly gives Severa a headache, memories of Laurent’s past hour-long monologues echoing in her head. “If I asked Laurent, he’d probably still be lecturing me about the twenty kinds of dust in the air and the type of ink that was used to write the books. And that’s before he’d even get to anything relevant.”

“What a pity. I was just getting to that,” Lucina glimpses outside, her auroral eyes narrowing. “But if you’re really that interested, it looks pretty clear out tonight and I could probably identify some of the constellations.”

“That sounds way more appealing than looking at a bunch of globes. Are you going to look at my palms or tell me my fortune next too?”

“As familiar as I am with prophecies, I’m afraid not,” Lucina responds with a chuckle.

“Disappointing, but understandable, so I guess I’ll let it slide,” Severa chides with a wink. “All right, miss star expert of an Exalt. If you can find the my zodiac’s constellation, the drinks will be on me next time.”

“I’d say that’s a fair bet, as long as you don’t mind the cobwebs again. And you don’t drop your drink,” Lucina cracks open the heavy doors to the balcony, and they creak as they open. A full pool of moonlight spills over her, illuminating her in the darkness, and she peers back over her shoulder. “Sound like a deal?”

Severa nods, her eyes meeting the blanket of night as she steps outside, connecting pinpoints of stars together. Lucina was right. It is pretty tonight, clear and cloudless, and the spring air is warm and crisp against her skin, a welcome contrast to the stuffiness of the castle.

“Truth or dare?” she asks after a few moments of silence, resting her arms against the edge of the stone wall, propping her weight against it. It’d almost be easy to get lost in the vast expanse of the darkened sky like this, she thinks, with nothing between her and a valley of stars and galaxies, and Severa feels something close to small as the weight of the universe looks back at her. She’s but one drop, one star, in the breadth of this world pulled apart at the seams, still lucky enough to be alive, but unlucky enough to falter and struggle… and for what? She still doesn’t know.

“We’re still doing this? All right, let’s go with… truth,” Lucina answers after a pause, more than sure of herself.

Standing beside her, Lucina also gazes upwards, her murky hair hardly a shade lighter than the shadows devouring the horizon. Her brand looks like a constellation like this, a pretty birthmark of fate etched into the even the deepest fibers of her bones, and her eyes catch the light, dark lashes trapping stars with every blink.

“Do you ever think about running away?” Severa murmurs. She hadn’t meant to ask something so serious, at least not yet, but the words are like water spilling through the spaces between her fingers.

Lucina takes in a long breath, holding the air in her lungs, her posture stiffening. A variety of emotions find their way to her face and settle in the knitted space between her brows.

“I did for a while,” she says finally, her voice softening. “I used to think about fleeing to the most remote corner of the world I could find and hiding there. Pretending I didn’t exist and I wasn’t who I was born as… but I had to abandon that fantasy. It’s pretty hard to think about abandoning your obligations when the world relies on you,” The weight Lucina carries is heavy in that last sentence.

“What if you could abandon all of that, though? If no one stopped you?” Severa pries, her fingers brushing against the rubble. “You know, if you just woke up one day and decided you’re done being who the world says you’re supposed to be? Would… would you leave then?”

Lucina bites her lip.

“I wouldn’t,” she says finally, shaking her head. “Even if I could, and even if I wanted to… It took me some time to realize this, but I think there are some things in life that you’re just meant to do. You can call it fate, karma, or whatever you want… but it’s not something you can run from. In the end, it always finds you.”

“So what do you think of it as, then?” Severa asks her, curiously quirking a brow.

“A duty,” Lucina replies simply. “To my father, the people of Ylisse, and to myself. I have a duty to protect this world, and to finish what my father and his Shepherds couldn’t. I can’t ever escape that, even if I fled to the most barren place I could find. It’s a part of who I am.”

“Even if you’re hanging from a thread with the weight of the world on you, you consider that to be part of your duty? How is one person supposed to bear all of that?” Severa crosses her arms. She’s not necessarily displeased by her words, more perplexed than anything, but the thought of Lucina carrying such an impractical responsibility leaves a sour taste in her mouth.

“I do. If I’m still able to fight, I will. I’m meant to be a catalyst for saving this forsaken world, and I will be. It’s an intrinsic part of me, and it’s something I’ve accepted. And now I… I want to be the force that brings change and creates a new era of peace,” Lucina laughs softly, moving stray pieces of her hair away from her eyes. “And call it selfish, but if someone is going to strike down Grima, I want it to be me.”

“That’s not unreasonable, you know. I’d think the same thing if I were you,” Severa reassures, “Just don’t let that weight bury you, okay? The pressure that you put on yourself… it’s more than any person should ever carry. I may not be royalty or a ruler, but I did grow up trying to chase the perfection my mom basked in, and it ate away at me. I wanted to be just like her even though I hated everything that made us alike, and what I sought was unobtainable. Would you believe she wasn’t even truly perfect? Not perfect enough to stay alive, at least.”

Lucina knows talking about her mother is still a tender topic for Severa, and she intends to tread carefully. Something between sensitivity and concern flashes in her eyes, and she swallows.

“Severa, I-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Severa interrupts. “Make no mistake, I have no intentions of dying anytime soon. And wherever my mother is, she knows that. I guess you can consider that my truth for the night,” she adds with a dry laugh.

“I suppose that means you’re going with a dare, then?”

“Sure am. Just don’t expect me to give as philosophical of an answer if you ask me something complicated.”

“That was rather long-winded, wasn’t it? My apologies. Let’s go with a lighter topic, then…” Abashed, Lucina finds her mind blank and rubs the back of her neck with her hand. “Shit, what is it that people always ask about in games like this? I already know mostly everything about you and I can’t think of anything you’re afraid of that I should dare you to do.”

Severa snickers.

“Yeah, living in an apocalypse is a nice time for some unexpected bonding,” she says sardonically. “Cynthia usually goes for stupid, cheesy shit when we play. Stuff like crushes and _‘ooh Severa, who do you want to marry when you grow up?’”_ Her voice rises to a peppy, melodious tone as she imitates her.

“Oh, I see. Okay, I dare you to tell me who you like, then.” Lucina declares. Not exactly original, but it’s an attempt, and she has the general idea.

Severa’s breath hitches, and for a moment she stiffens, her cheeks burning pink in the glow of the moonshine. Her eyes look almost vermilion, the color of mahogany lit by light. It takes her a considerable amount of time to answer.

“What if I showed you?” she says finally, her voice low and husky and raw, edged with a hint of nervousness.

Confused, Lucina cocks her head to the side like a confused puppy.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, gods, you really are hopeless,” Severa remarks with a groan, taking a step towards her. “I have to spell it out for you, don’t I?”

For being described as calloused and thorny, Severa’s touch could only be described as unusually gentle. Contrary to all her acrimonious jabs and harsh stares, there is a more temperate side to Severa, beyond the thousand walls she wears as armor, both to shield herself from the horrors of the world and to drown in her own self-hatred where even the bravest of souls wouldn’t dare to venture. Severa’s fingers trace the hollow of Lucina’s cheekbone, thumb following the long curve of her jaw as she tilts her head and brings their lips together. There are no walls around her now, leaving the two of them standing amid an abundance of stars and limitlessness, marionettes dancing in a stained world, and for the time that Severa kisses her, there is no crushing weight of war on Lucina’s shoulders, no war, death, or turmoil; all she knows is that she’s here and alive and desperately in love, wavering in something close to bliss where her destiny somehow no longer terrifies her. It’s something she doesn’t want to leave, and she only does so when Severa pulls away.

“You… you meant that?” Lucina asks with a dismayed stammer, a furious blush heating her face.

Severa glowers, her pretty nose wrinkling as her brows knit together.

“Of course I did. You expect to take a girl stargazing and _not_ try to woo her? Gods, Luci, you’re a bad flirt _and_ you’re oblivious! What am I going to do with you?” she responds, though her tone is more playful than genuinely vexed.

“You could kiss me again,” Lucina declares jovially, an impish grin wide on her face.

“Last I checked, it was _my_ turn to ask. But you’re in luck, because that was my next question,” Leaning in, Severa’s lips come dangerously close to Lucina’s neck, breath hot against her ear. “By the way, you’re cute when you blush,” she notes as her eyes dart up and she runs her fingers through Lucina’s hair, tucking it behind her ear.

She places another kiss on Lucina’s lips, and it’s shorter but no less tender than the first. Severa tastes faintly of mead, the sweetness a dim flicker on Lucina’s tongue, and she smells like secrets and spring air. There’s something familiar about the way they fit together, and it’s a distant but pure feeling like awakening from a dream, misty and barely tangible but still recognizable nonetheless.

“You’re so cute, in fact, that I may forgive you for not telling me more about the stars,” Severa comments, still mantling. “But we can always save that for a different day, right?”

“I like that idea. But you can’t say I didn’t teach you _anything._ Here, look,” Lucina’s focus shifts back to the sky, and she points at a cluster of stars. She tilts Severa’s head in the same direction with her hand, fingers brushing against her chin. “See that constellation right there? That’s Aquarius, the water bearer. While it’s associated with the element of air, it also correlates with floods and the coming of spring. It’s said that the overflowing water jug Aquarius is known for carrying was put into a river, and that stream caused the start of the rainy season.”

Severa is initially too enthralled by the beauty of Lucina’s profile to notice, caught up in the sweep of her high cheekbones and prominent nose, the subtle way her lips turn downward when she’s focused, how the cerulean in her eyes is boundless, light filtering through the ocean on a sunny day. She’s otherworldly, Severa thinks, a hero from a dream, and everything she’s ever wanted. It occurs to her then that she’s truly in love, and much like the water bearer hanging in the stars, she, too, overflows, bringing forth a downpour wherever she treads.

“Lucina,” she says softly, reaching up to clasp her hand. “Can I tell you something?”

“Hm? Of course you can. What is it?” She seems to have caught Lucina off guard.

“Don’t make fun of me for it or anything,” she starts timidly, averting her gaze. “Luci, I think I’m in love with you… and I have been for a while. I know the world right now is shit and we don’t even know if we’ll live to see tomorrow, but when I’m with you, I feel like… everything might just be okay. I want to stay by your side and fight with you, if you’ll have me.”

“Oh, Severa. I thought that much was obvious. You know I will,” Lucina’s voice is yielding and warm, so ardent it almost hurts. The look in her eyes is resolute and brindled with passion. “I’m going to make you a promise. When all of this is over, I’m going to take you somewhere beautiful. Where we’ll know nothing but peace and happiness, and I vow to make it happen. I fight for you, too, and I always will. Your future is just as much a part of mine.”

“We’ll fight together then, right?”

“Always will,” Lucina confirms with a nod. “And if I hadn’t made it abundantly clear already, Severa, I adore you, and while I can’t fulfill the promise I made to you right this instant, I’d like to bring you up here again sometime. Think of it as a date.”

Intrigued, Severa raises a brow.

“I’d like that. And next time, I won’t have to play truth or dare with you to get you to confess your feelings to me. Consider it a date, princess.”

Lucina gasps.

“Was that your intention all along?”

“Even a water bearer has her secrets,” Severa retorts with a shrug. “But maybe you’ll get it out of me next time. The drinks are on me too, all right?”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Good. Because between you and me, I wouldn’t get cobwebs in my hair for anyone else,” Severa places another kiss on her lips. “As enjoyable as this night has been, it’s getting late, so we should probably head back in. And there’s a spot in your bed with my name on it. Let’s do this again, say… next weekend?”

Next weekend sounds great, Lucina thinks, and she begins to respond when the rest of Severa’s remarks sink into her. Her bed?!

“Severa! And what would the others say if they caught you sleeping next to me?” Lucina’s face turns a furious shade of red.

“Nothing that isn’t obvious,” Severa informs her.

Gods, she really is clueless, isn't she?

To her dismay, Lucina is rendered speechless for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

-

The heavy scent of smoke permeates the battlefield, embers rising into the air as the plumes spread and a flurry of swords clash in the firelight. It’s growing unbearably hot now, both from the heat of the flames and the adrenaline, and Severa stumbles, her back against what’s left of a wall, sweat sticking hair to her temples, sword drawn and held in shaky hands. She undoubtedly has a few cracked ribs and her wrist in her dominant hand is likely broken, which does nothing to help her situation… She grits her teeth hard, clenches her jaw and swallows, the trepidation a heavy warning in her throat. This is bad. Worse than bad.

They’re getting cornered, even with Kjelle fending off a large portion of the risen and Grimleal armies at the forefront with Gerome and Minerva.

“Severa! Are you all right?” Lucina yells, Falchion delving into the side of a risen in the space between its ribs. The grotesque sound is followed by a spurt of black blood that obscures Severa’s view, and the jagged corpse of the risen dissolves in a storm of black dust.

“Just narrowly escaped death, but managing!” Severa calls back, her sword colliding with the side of a risen’s malformed jaw; the sound of bones breaking meet her ears, and she kicks in its knees and dives the blade into its chest. It shrieks in her ear, gaped, rotted teeth not far from her neck, and Severa recoils before it dissipates, both taken aback and struck with a jolt of pain in her hand.

There’s a crack of lightning above her as Nah transforms and trails after a mage atop a pegasus, her dark wings spread out wide, fanning the flames with a gust of air that blows Severa’s hair over her shoulders. Inigo and Owain fight just a few feet away, a fierce duo despite their flagrant dispositions, while Laurent and Brady roam in the background, casting spells and providing aid. They’ve lost a good number of their pegasus knights now, with Cynthia and her squad some of the only survivors. They’re lucky to have Nah with them now, but they can only handle so much with their numbers down this much.

“Where’s Noire?” Severa pants. “Either she starts picking off the fliers up there, or you can hand me a bow and I will.”

“Lucina, I’ve just received word that a significant number of the risen army has broken off and is headed towards the castle. Awaiting your orders,” Gerome says, landing near her. Minerva crushes the body of a dying risen as her feet meet the ground, talons digging into its rubbery skin. A dried stream of blood runs down the side of his face and he pants as he speaks.

“Shit,” Lucina growls, blood dripping from the tip of Falchion, stray droplets dancing in the air as she straightens and readies herself again, looking like a tiger about to pounce on prey. She glimpses in the distance, perturbed. “Some of their army split off and there’s still this many here? Where are they all coming from?”

Their eyes glow red like the flames, vibrant rubies brighter than Severa’s hair, and they trudge through the ignited rubble and brush intact, almost as if they don’t feel the pain at all. They growl and moan and caterwaul, a shrill, dissonant sound that makes the hair on the back of Severa’s neck stand up, and they look somehow both well-versed in battle, muscles defined and bulging, and frail, their skin discolored and blotched. Though Severa and the army are experienced at taking down risen now, they’re still tenacious and a chore to take down, and this number of them is more of a death sentence than it is a challenge.

“We’re unsure, but it’s imperative that we send reinforcements to the castle as quickly as possible. There’s no way the squadrons camping there will be able to take down such a number, especially some of the newer recruits unfamiliar with the layout.” He wipes the sweat from his forehead nervously.

“Let me guess. You’re suggesting I retreat back to there? Not entirely sure I like that idea,” Lucina says sourly, out of breath.

“As much as I know you’d prefer to remain on the forefront here, I think it’s best that you retreat back to Ylisstol-”

“I can’t do that, Gerome!” she yells, going for a risen’s neck. Watching Lucina on the battlefield is like a ghastly yet elegant dance to the death, her steps airy and well-practiced, every move calculated and executed with utmost precision. As much as she insists that she’s just like everyone else, Lucina truly is the picture of royalty, and her gifted blood truly shows itself in combat. She’s everything her father was and more.

“Don’t be stupid,” Severa snaps, running beside her for backup. She looks at Lucina with steely eyes. “Look around you. There won’t _be_ a chance for any auxiliary troops to show up if you stay here. You’d be as good as dead.”

Lucina’s face contorts and she scoffs.

“And what, leave some of my people to perish while I flee like a scared dog? I lack that cowardice, Severa-”

“You’re not being a coward,” Severa snaps, a spray of risen’s blood painting her cheeks, lukewarm against her skin. “You told me you had a duty, remember? You can’t hold yourself to that duty if you’re _dead!_ ”

“I’m not leaving you!” Lucina screams, her voice rising. Another two risen go down at her feet, their rusted weapons hitting the dirt. “You’re the source of my strength. I need you.”

When their gazes meet, Lucina’s eyes are glassy with tears.

“You aren’t abandoning me,” Severa counters. There’s a pang of pain in her chest, the kind she feels when she wants to cry. Lucina is stubborn, perhaps even more stubborn than she is, but she knows that, most of all, Lucina is terrified. She’s already lost more than any person should ever have to, and she’s always blamed herself for casualties, even when it comes to complete strangers.

“But-”

“No buts. Go!” Severa’s voice rises, becoming shrill. “Gerome, take Yarne with you. He can get there the fastest and start to intercept them, which will buy you more time. We’ll meet up with you later.”

“Severa, I-”

“If you die, we all die! I have a duty now too, you know, and it’s to protect _you_!” Severa’s lip quivers, but she doesn’t falter. “Don’t you hear me? You have an opening. _Go!_ ”

Gerome pulls Lucina from the forefront by the back of her shoulders, and for a moment Lucina resists before Severa’s words gradually sink into her.

“I’m sorry,” Lucina murmurs, voice cracking with the cinders. “Severa. Severa, I love you, I-”

“I love you too, princess, now quit being selfless and get your ass out of here!”

Her mother always told her that her greatest pride was defending the exalted family, and as much as Severa spent years denying their similarities, growing up eclipsed by Cordelia’s shadow, it finally dawns on her just how alike they truly are. Severa shares that duty with her, too, not because she has to, but because she _wants_ to. She is brave and talented and everything her mother was and more, her true benevolence hidden by a bitter frown and an even more acidic tongue to mask her own feelings of inadequacy. Perhaps her mother would be proud of her, seeing her like this, teeth bared and ready to fight with what little she has left in hopes to turn the tides, and for a moment Severa finds herself wondering if this, too, is what Cordelia found herself thinking in her final moments.

Severa prays to whatever gods may exist that this is where those similarities end.

Lucina’s worry-ridden face is the last thing she sees before she turns to the hell before her, breathes the tension out of her shoulders, and charges forward with a scream.

-

“ _Casualties were heavy and we don’t know for sure yet if the remainder of the risen and Grimleal forces have retreated, but Severa is believed to be among the survivors. Reports say she’s gravely injured and we’re sending assistance as we speak- milady, where are you going? You need to understand that we have not officially secured the premises and there could still be danger lurking-”_

_Etched with trepidation, hands quivering, the oasis in Lucina’s eyes grew murky, her lips pressed into a thin, tense line._

“ _I don’t care. I’m going back there,” she said firmly, “I’m grabbing a horse from the stable and joining the medics. If you try and stop me, I won’t apologize for sending you back in a body bag. Understood?”_

_The soldiers beside Laurent grew pale, blood draining from their faces. Their replies came out strained and apprehensive, but unanimous._

“ _Yes, milady.”_

And so Lucina ran, little else occupying the space of her mind, lungs heaving and nerves lit like a match, prepared to save what may easily be a life just as important as her own. She doesn’t care right now that it’s a selfish thought of her to have, that Cynthia can barely stand with a flurry of arrows in her back and Gerome screams in pain with plumes of burns running down his body, she doesn’t care that she could easily be walking into a deathtrap with Severa at the apex of it all and-

 _Oh gods, that’s a lot of blood._ Lucina swears what runs in her veins must be ice, crystallized and jagged.

They haven’t moved her, not yet. Brady stands over her, staff in hand as he murmurs incantations, the soft glow of healing magic emanating from his hands. Lucina is off her horse before she even has time to think about it, moving so hastily she almost trips over her own feet, and the air still reeks of smoke, arid and choked as it settles in her lungs. She shoves multiple soldiers guarding Brady out of the way and falls to her knees beside Severa, staining the cobalt of her tights red with blood.

Severa’s eyes are dull and dark, skin blanched, a dried spray of blood obscuring the freckles along her nose and cheeks. There’s a deep wound in her chest, cutting through her armor, and another considerable laceration on her arm going down towards her elbow. She blinks slowly as she breathes, slim streams of blood still running down her sides, pooling in the spaces between her fingers.

“No touching,” Brady says crossly, his face wrinkled, leaving the scar across his face jagged, “Haven’t stopped the bleeding yet, and I’d prefer you not ruin my hard work.”

The blankness in Severa’s gaze has Lucina reeling, panic arising in her chest and up into her throat.

“Brady, please tell me she’s not dying,” she pleads frantically.

“She ain’t dying,” he counters. “She should be after going one-on-one with a risen general twice her size, but she’s still kicking. She’s a tenacious thing.”

Lucina’s brows climb to her hairline.

“A risen general? It usually takes at least half a dozen men to even try to take down one, I-” she looks up at him with wide eyes. “Oh gods, Brady, she’s not infected, is she?"

Brady shakes his head.

“Wouldn’t even try to save her if she was,” he murmurs, “She’s lost a lot of blood and she’ll be diced up for a while, but those are things I can fix. The infections? Not so much.”

Lucina’s hair falls messily down her shoulders, sweat running from her temples down to the curve of her jaw. It’s hard to tell how conscious she is like this, with her wounds slowly stitching themselves shut and face pale, lips tinged with a hint of blue.

“Can she hear me?” Lucina asks, looking up at him.

“Of course I can hear you,” Severa interrupts with a cough, her voice gravelly.

“She was asking for you earlier. Seemed more concerned with you than she was with herself,” Brady utters. “Ugh, your arm’s proving to be a real pain in the ass to heal. Why’d you have to get it cut down to the muscle? You’re a real daredevil, little red. You gonna tell your girlfriend how you saved everyone’s asses next, too?”

Lucina stares at him, nonplussed.

“It truly was a sight to see. She used herself as bait when she ran up to that fucking mess of a general and had Noire put a bunch of arrows in him. Next thing I knew, she told Laurent to shock him and he lit up like a damn firework. Turns out even risen aren’t immune to elthunder. Kid’s a damn genius if you ask me.”

“You risked yourself for that?” Aghast, Lucina’s hands shake as she brushes the hair from Severa’s eyes.

“I knew you wouldn’t like it. But I had no choice,” she murmurs.

The sky glows orange and ochre, gray clouds marbled in with febrile shades of red, and lingering flames still eat away at the barren trees. Lucina wants to say a lot of things to her- how it was reckless, a bout of idiotic suicidal self-despair and self-sacrifice, tactless and worrisome and just like her. Stupidly impetuous, as she’s always been.

“You could’ve died,” is all Lucina can manage quietly, bluntly, and while that’s always been a possibility, it feels too hauntingly real now, seeing Severa like this.

“But I didn’t. After all, I had a promise to keep,” Severa looks at her with just her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re going to back out on it,” she says dryly, with a hint of trademark sarcasm.

“Of course I’m not!”

“Good, because I’d be pretty pissed if you dumped me while I’m half-dead,” she remarks. She laughs before gritting her teeth in pain, and Lucina flinches.

“Hate to interrupt your little love session, but we should probably get little red here to the infirmary before her wounds start to open back up,” Brady notes. “Luci, you wanna do the honors and carry her there?”

Lucina acquiesces, pulling Severa’s mangled body into her arms and wrapping her cape around her. She holds her like she would a porcelain doll, carefully and attentively, and Severa tiredly rests her head against her chest. She smells like blood and sweat and scorched earth, grisly bruises nebulous on her skin, hair dark and matted, but she’s alive. Lucina will weep over this later when she’s alone, thank Naga for whatever miracle kept her here and bury the fear of Severa dying deep in the space between her ribs, and she will pray, once again buried under the crushing weight of the burden she’s been given, the duty she could never flee from, the fate that was entrusted to her the moment she was born. She will despair and agonize and dream of a world not trampled by the Fell Dragon’s wings, but for now, she will be grateful.

Lucina looks down at Severa and kisses her forehead.

“Come on,” she tells her. “Let’s go home.”

There were no stars in the sky that night, no moon and the constellations vacant and erased, but Lucina still threaded them together in her mind, etching Severa's wounds closed with stardust, and she stood with Aquarius, the famed water bearer, and overflowed. 


End file.
